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Rufus Barma
Rufus Barma (ルーファス バルマ, Ruufasu Baruma) was the last known heir to the Barma Dukedom, having acted as Duke until the Four Great Dukedoms' end of reign. Rufus was known most notably for his vast collection of information that he'd collected throughout his life, and commonly used it as a form of currency that could be wagered in order to keep him one step ahead of everyone else. It is because of this that Rufus knew of Xerxes Break's true origins and became the first person to truly know the truth of the Tragedy of Sablier. Previously, Rufus had a Legal Contract with The Black Winged Chain of the Barmas' Door to the Abyss, Dodo - often times using Dodo to create life-like illusions as a precautionary measure. However, Rufus intentionally voided his Contract with Dodo by destroying the Barma Door's respective Key to the Abyss. Rufus became a triple agent for Pandora in order to earn the Baskervilles' trust after he'd learned the truth of the Tragedy of Sablier, all while planting numerous clues for Oz shortly after the Baskervilles took over Pandora. Unfortunately, when Rufus destroyed the Barma Key, he earned the suspicion of Oswald - who had possessed his successor, Leo. This prompted Oswald's decision to bring Rufus along to Sablier with him when he wanted to travel back in time to kill Lacie for the betterment of the future, so that he could keep an eye on Rufus personally. After Oswald realized that Rufus was a traitor, he attacked without hesitation. Fortunately, Rufus managed to escape and would later go on to help Sheryl fend off the Chain invasion in Sablier while Oz, Alice and Gilbert pushed forward to stop Oswald. With Oz and company's success, Rufus continued his efforts to help Sheryl defend the citizens of Sablier. Afterwards, the Four Great Dukedoms were found guilty of their crimes against the state, prompting the removal of their political power and the end of Pandora. Sheryl continued to deny Rufus' requests for marriage, primarily citing how much it hurt her when he attacked with Dodo. Three years following the reconstruction of society, Rufus died of natural causes at the age of 70 - though Sheryl continued to visit his grave and speak with him over tea in the years that followed his death. Appearance Rufus appears as a young man with long crimson hair that flows down Rufus' back and over his shoulders, while his bangs are brushed towards the right side of his face and a singular thick strand, an ahoge, sticks out atop his head. Rufus' eyes are dark grey and more oblong than that of the other characters, being because his family originated from a neighboring country. To add to his foreign appearance, Rufus' complexion is also considerably more pale than that of the other characters. Rufus most commonly wears a thick, cream-colored robe that has a black collar, which Rufus keeps buttoned shut apart from a single button to allow Rufus' white ascot to show. The inside of this robe is a dark shade of red, and the robe itself is separated in two places at the front, to allow a long rectangular strip of fabric to hang before Rufus, covering his torso. Where the twin slits that create this rectangle of fabric end near the shoulders of the robe, a black belt that has gold detailing has been attached and strands of golden string hanging from the buttons that attach the belt to the robe. As well, on the robe there are crimson symbols of unknown meaning, on the cream colored fabric. Underneath, Rufus wears a white loose-fitting shirt, black tight-fitting pants and cuffed higher-heeled shoes. Rufus also commonly appears in a different form, that being an illusion created by Dodo. This illusion Rufus appears as a large round man with a mustache, wild eyes and comical features, coupled with a hat shaped like a teacup (which actually contains tea). When Xerxes Break reveals this form to be nothing more than an illusion, Rufus reveals himself as the man always posing as Sheryl's valet. Personality Rufus is the longest-living Duke, and is thus particularly knowledgeable and has considerably high intellect. Through his accumulation of information, he is an apt judge of character and able to predict the reactions of people whom he encounters. He is somewhat cold, heartless, shrewd, condescending, calculating and manipulative. He is self-centered, and this attribute leads him to withhold important information from the other Dukedoms, should it benefit him. He has a cynical attitude to other humans and states that he weighs their value in terms of their ability to contribute to his knowledge. He detests the ability of people to change without his knowledge, as it renders the information he has attained obsolete. He angers Oz more often than Break does. Rufus acts as Sheryl's valet, and it is implied through the omakes that he has some romantic interest for her, although this love remains unrequited. It was later proven that in the past, Rufus and Sheryl didn't get along with one another as they mostly argued. It wasn't until Sheryl revealed her engagement to Rufus that he realized he had fallen in love with Sheryl. He was deeply saddened about Sheryl's marriage to another man and made continuous attempts to ask her for her hand in marriage. Much to his dismay, Sheryl repeated rejected his proposals. Despite this, the two became extremely close friends as shown when Rufus and Sheryl exchanged their Keys to the Abyss. Rufus visited Sheryl whenever he had the chance. Rufus is also a pragmatist. He states that his motive for betraying Pandora and siding with the Baskervilles is to ensure the recognition and preservation of his own Dukedom. However, Rufus revealed himself to be a double agent. After discovering the truth of the Tragedy of Sablier, Rufus immediately made plans to ally with the Baskervilles while helping Oz and his friends in secret. This is due to his desire to prevent Sheryl, and Oz and his friends from getting hurt despite the risks and consequences as a result of his actions. When confronted by Oswald (who took control of Leo's body) for his motive, Rufus bluntly tells him his reason: he still wanted to marry Sheryl, much to Vincent's amusement and shock. Although Sheryl was still mad at him for hurting her, she forgave him and the two friends became close again. Through Gilbert's narration, while Rufus never married Sheryl in the end, Gilbert believed Rufus was happy with the relationship he had with her until the end. Powers and Abilities Rufus has incredible intellect that he has collected over the course of his lifetime (due to his thirst for knowledge). Rufus has also displayed varying skill in hand-to-hand combat, using his bladed fan as a weapon that he's capable of holding his own against Xerxes Break's sword with. Chain Rufus holds a Legal Contract with the Black Winged Chain protecting the Barma Door to the Abyss, Dodo. Through the use of Dodo, Rufus is capable of projecting numerous illusions of absolutely anything which Rufus desires. Apart from projecting illusions, Dodo is also capable of prying open a distortion created between Earth and the Abyss, allowing Rufus access to the Abyss if he so desires; as well as the use of dark energy as a secondary offensive weapon if the need arises. Dodo also possesses phenomenal strength and endurance, however unlike his fellow Black Winged Chains, Dodo lacks the ability of flight due to the weight of his body and the size of his wings. Quotes To Xerxes Break *''"Fie upon thee. I can cause an opponent to die of shock with mine illusions. Prithee, liken our Chains not, as thy Chain is useless against humans. (Rufus compares Dodo and Mad Hatter's usefulness)'' *''" 'Tis as thou hast just said... I desire the information that be in thy hands."'' *''" And who dost thou think thou art refering to as the 'Bird-Brained Duke'?"'' *''Pandora will soon capitulate. And if that's the case... I will follow the stronger party and save the Barma House.'' *''Hatter, a few days ago... I finally finished deciphering Arthur Barma's notes. What was written there was Arthur Barma's confession. So I finally learned the truth about the Tragedy of Sablier. The truth about the man we all call a "hero"!'' To Reim Lunettes *''"Drawest thou back, useless knave."'' To Oz *'"'Thou... dost consider it troublesome to hide thy true self after provoking me on a previous occasion, I see." *"Fret thee not. This time alone, the information cometh unto thee for thee." *"The Barma family once devoted itself to researching alchemy and magic in its search for knowledge." *"Five Sealing Stones were allocated to five trusted mages... and were to have been protected by each of them into the present." To Sharon Rainsworth *''"What sayest thou? Shall I take over thy education and teach thee a lesson anew?'' To Sheryl Rainsworth *''Our promise, you say? That's why I've told you, sentimentality is a weakness of yours.'' In General *''I know everything.'' *''Information is power!'' Appearances Trivia *Rufus' name means "red-haired" in Latin. *Rufus' zodiac sign is Aries. *He is the childhood friend of Sheryl Rainsworth, Sharon's grandmother, whom he fears as the way some characters fear Sharon. However, in the omake series titled, "Go For It! Little Reim (Liam)!" it was shown that he made a young Reim deliver some love letters to her, and in another omake he explained that his reason for not having bodyguards or attendants is to be close to (and alone with) her. *He is based on the caterpillar from the Alice books. *In Retrace XLIII: Crown of Clown, it is shown that Rufus has a pet Lorikeet, a reference to the fact that a Lory took part in the Caucus Race in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. *He is called "Bird-Brained Duke" by both Alice and Break, interestingly enough, Rufus called Isla Yura this as well in Retrace XLVIII. *Rufus' speaks in an older form of the Japanese language, making his speech more complex compared to all the other characters. Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Category:Human Category:Barma Family Category:Lutwidge Students Category:Pandora members Category:Duke Category:Contractors Category:Legal Contractors Category:Deceased